Don't Miss a Chance
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Regulus Black is secretly dating James Potter, and is terrified to tell his brother. Eventually though, his secret comes to light. JamesRegulus with a sprinkling of Wolfstar.


**A/N: Hey y'all! So, this was written for Camp Potter and Hogwarts.**

 **Hogwarts: Gardening Task 3: Write about a wedding.**

 **Camp Potter: Tie Dye Station:**

 **(Pairing) JamesRegulus**

 **(Character) Peter Pettigrew**

 **(Setting) Diagon Alley**

 **Word Count: 3427**

 **Thanks to my sister for beta'ing!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Hello, beautiful."

Regulus Black rolled his eyes. "Really? That's the hello I get after a summer apart?"

That summer had been torture— Regulus had hated having to secretly send letters to his boyfriend, but it had been necessary. There was no telling how Orion and Walburga Black would react to their favorite son being gay. This trip to Diagon Alley was the first opportunity the two boys had gotten to meet up since school last year; James Potter wasn't wasting any time.

The seventh-year Gryffindor grinned unapologetically. "What? It's true."

Regulus crossed his arms. "I happen to like my name."

James held his hands up in surrender, the cocky grin that had once been annoying, but he now found endearing, still stuck to his face. "Okay, fine. Come in again and I'll do better, I promise."

Regulus rolled his eyes again, but this time was struggling to hide a smile. He backed out of the dark alley they were in, near Flourish and Blotts, and then walked back in, an eyebrow raised in James' direction.

The Gryffindor cleared his throat dramatically, then said, "Oh, Regulus! My one and only! Do mine eyes deceive me? I—"

"Stop," Regulus gasped, trying to smother his laughter. "That was _terrible._ "

James shrugged, mirth shining in his hazel eyes behind his glasses. "You love it, really."

Regulus approaches his boyfriend slowly, a smirk on his face. "You sure about that?"

James' eyes flickered to the Black heir's lips, then back up to his eyes. "Not nearly sure enough."

Regulus' grin widened. "Well, then maybe I should—"

James pounced on him, hungrily pushing their lips together, eager to make up for lost time.

"Mmm," James moaned against the younger boy's mouth. "I missed you."

Joy bubbled up from within him, and Regulus reached up to wrap his arms around the other boy's shoulders. "There's the greeting I was looking for."

After a few more stolen kisses, the boys pulled reluctantly away from each other. Regulus' grey eyes locked in on James' handsome features, and anxiety suddenly washed over him.

"I don't want to go back," he admitted, horrified at his vulnerability but comforted by the fact that it was James witnessing it.

James looked hesitant before he said, "If we could just tell Sirius—"

"No," Regulus shook his head quickly. The distant memory of angry shouts and Unforgivable Curses flying through the air at his brother flashed through his mind. He hadn't stood up for Sirius, and their relationship had paid the price. "He's mad at me. I wasn't… I wasn't there for him. Why should he be there for me?"

James looked concerned, and grabbed Regulus' hand before giving it a squeeze. "Sirius isn't like that. He doesn't live by the same principles as the rest of your family. And maybe… maybe they won't all—"

"They won't— they disowned Sirius for less. I'm not brave like you and him." His breathing was getting faster; he could feel a panic attack coming on. "I can't face their— their looks of disdain, the jeers, the slurs. Maybe you can, but I can't. I don't want to be gawked at. I just want to be with you."

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking, but he knew from experience that he didn't want to try; it just got more uncontrollable. He was ashamed of the physical sign of weakness, even though James had always told him not to be. The truth of the matter was, any irregularity in the Black family was dealt with quickly and quietly. If any of his relatives knew that the mere mention of joining the Death Eaters made his chest constrict, then they would try to fix the problem. The issue with that was that their methods of "fixing" things were what were causing his panic in the first place.

James took a step back and gripped his lover's shoulders, suddenly serious. "Regulus, listen. I know your family—" His voice cracked. "I know that they aren't ideal. But, well, I'm… I'm here. And I won't leave." The corners of his mouth flickered upwards. "I solemnly swear."

Regulus frowned. "Why do you always laugh when you say that?"

James' eyes danced with the thrill of the secret. "Maybe one day I'll tell you. But Regulus— I don't think… Sirius won't mind."

Regulus balked away from him, his hands trembling. "We can't tell him! He _hates_ me, and if he knows you're involved with me, then he'll hate you, too."

James shook his head. "No, listen. He hates what your parents want you to become. He misses you. And you aren't going to be like them, are you?"

When Regulus didn't respond right away, James' confident beam dimmed. Angry with himself for hurting the man he loved so soon into their first meeting in months, he hurried to explain. "I don't— I don't want to join the… him. I know they want me to, and I— Sirius might be able to handle being disowned, but I can't James. And I can't think like you, either. I don't know how my brother can, but when I look at a Muggleborn, my initial reaction is to think less of them. It's become like a reflex. I _try_ to see them differently, but I can't." Now he was getting frustrated, furious with himself for his ingrained narrow-mindedness, and even a little at James for just expecting him to be able to change his world views at the drop of a hat.

Regulus wasn't hysterical. His voice was calm and collected, but there was a hint of desperation that only those close to him could uncover, and James was one of those people. A Black never lost control of their emotions. James was slowly undoing most of the damage his upbringing had wrought, but this was something that Regulus was having a lot of difficulty letting go of. He hated his trembling hands, his wavering voice. Now more than ever, he needed to be strong.

James' brow furrowed, disappointment clear in his eyes. "Why can't you leave them? I still don't understand. It's not like you'd have nowhere to go— my parents would gladly take you in!"

The young Slytherin could not believe that James was missing the point. "If I moved in with you, I'd move in with Sirius— and he doesn't know about us!"

James crossed his arms, and Regulus immediately missed the weight of his Quidditch-calloused hands. "Again— Sirius won't care about that."

Regulus hugged himself. "Can't you just, for one minute, imagine what it had been like for me? I grew up in a house where independent thinking was punished— harshly. My cousin was disowned for falling in love with the wrong sort of man! That isn't an accepting environment— they don't understand, they're not willing to! You can't just assume that all I have to do is walk out the the front door. It's not that easy, James."

It was true; the Black family had never welcomed in anyone who didn't conform to their beliefs. They had no qualms about casting out cousins, aunts, and uncles, and never thought twice about abandoning a child who disappointed them. Sirius, a true Gryffindor in Regulus' eyes, had never hidden his disgust towards their family. He had rebelled for as long as Regulus could remember, and the only reason that their parents had held onto him so long was because he was the heir to the family fortune; now that he had been disowned, Regulus held that title.

Growing up, Regulus had not been like his brother. In the beginning, he really had believed in what his relatives were saying— what child didn't worship their parents? But when he got to Hogwarts, he'd been very confused by the Muggleborns. The way his parents had described them, he'd thought that you could tell who they were just by looking at them. "Mudblood" meant dirty blood, after all. But the truth was, he couldn't tell the Muggleborns from the purebloods. It had been a wake up call.

He had then begun doubting his parents' teachings. It was slow going, of course— he was still unable to see himself as completely equal to everyone else. Still, it was just the beginning; soon after that, he had realized that he might not be completely straight.

It had started with small things. A skipped heartbeat when a boy sat in close proximity to him. A flushing of his face if a man touched him. Eventually it all evolved into a horrible queasiness whenever a cute boy struck up a conversation. Then, he had noticed James Potter staring.

While his relationship with James had developed, life at home had become unbearable. He had become paranoid that his family would find out about him and react just as harshly— if not more so— as they had with Sirius. This had resulted in a severe increase in his anxiety, and as he had already been an anxious person, the added stress quickly accumulated into horrible panic attacks.

James, when Regulus had ashamedly admitted the truth of the situation to him a few months after they had begun dating, was very understanding about it. He helped Regulus patiently through every attack, and encouraged him to push his boundaries every once in a while so he could get more comfortable with social situations. He never made Regulus feel guilty or convince him to attempt to do something he wasn't ready for; all these things Regulus was extremely grateful for. But James took for granted the wonderful parents he had— he just couldn't grasp the amount of courage it took to leave a home that may be hurting you, but was still all you'd ever known. Which was fine— Regulus didn't want him to ever have to understand that feeling. All the same, he wished that James would stop pushing this particular subject.

James wilted. "I… You're right. I know this is hard for you. I just… I want you _out_ of there."

Regulus understood that. He wanted to leave, too.

James put a hand on his shoulder. "If you can't leave, then that's okay. As long as you don't join him… but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now I want you to decide if you can tell Sirius or not."

Regulus bit his lip and nodded. He felt sick from nerves at just the thought, but he knew this was important to his boyfriend. It was important to him, too; he just wasn't as sure that the outcome would be favorable.

* * *

Peter Pettigrew pressed his pillow harder against his head, trying to block out the mumbling from the bed beside him. It was the first week of school, and already James was keeping him up. This wasn't even prank related! Why he had decided to grab the bed next to the Potter kid in first year, he had no idea. After a while of his eyes staying stubbornly open, the blond-haired boy sat up dejectedly, resigned to his fate of severe lack of sleep.

"Mmm. Regulus," James moaned into his pillow.

Peter glared at James' unconscious form. While the new information explained a lot, it was not a revelation he wanted to have at one in the morning.

James mumbled Regulus' name again, and Peter groaned with realization. He hadn't come out to Padfoot yet, had he? No _wonder_ the two most mischievous Marauders had been acting so strangely around each other lately. Actually, that only explained Prongs' behavior. Why was Padfoot—

Sirius, from Peter's other side, murmured something that sounded suspiciously like _Remus_.

Peter dropped his head into his hands and sighed heavily. Of course. James and Regulus, Sirius and Remus. Peter ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly. He didn't know why his friends were so insistent on hiding their relationships, but he knew that if they carried on for much longer then they would drive each other insane.

He hoped they came clean soon. He actually rather liked the idea of James and Regulus together, and Remus and Sirius made sense. But then again, James and Sirius were two of the most stubborn people he knew… they'd need a push.

Peter finally gave in to temptation and put a Silencing Charm on the beds on either side of him. He'd work on getting them to confess to each other later. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

Regulus adjusted his green tie irritably. Of course his cousin would ruin his Christmas holidays with a wedding. When he could be spending it a Hogwarts with a certain messy-haired Quidditch captain, he was instead forced to play the adoring little cousin at a big, bigoted wedding.

Narcissa better be sure about this.

Regulus sighed as he ran a comb through his short, dark hair. He pulled down the sleeves of his dress robes, fiddling with the cuffs. He was very happy that Narcissa had fallen in love with someone the family approved of, but he couldn't help but be jealous that he would one day have to choose between the Blacks and James. It simply wasn't fair.

Twenty minutes later, he was walking down the aisle as a groomsman, a fetching bridesmaid on his arm. She smiled coyly at him, and Regulus thought absently that James' arrogant grin was much more attractive. After he completed the walk down the aisle, he took his seat among the other guests, not paying much mind to the ceremony.

He supposed, as far as weddings went, this one was very nice. Narcissa certainly looked a vision in her expensive robes, and the glowing smile on her face was a nice change from her usual indifference. Even Lucius had abandoned his usual sneer, and the genuine love in his expression made him look like a different person.

About halfway through the service, Regulus felt a tap on his shoulder. He was sitting next to the aisle, and everybody's attention was glued to the couple up front, so he felt safe to turn around. When he saw who was standing beside him, his heart leapt into his throat.

"Sirius," he hissed, horrified.

The disgraced Black heir smiled at him sheepishly as he squeezed himself onto the edge of his brother's seat. His shoulder-length dark hair was tied elegantly back, and he was wearing very fine dress robes for the occasion. "Don't worry, I've cast a Muffliato, and if anyone does look our way, I'll Confund them."

Regulus gaped at his brother. "You— you can't be here! How did you—? You were invited to Cissy's wedding?"

Sirius pulled a face. "Merlin, no. I heard about it, and well… you couldn't run away from me here."

That gave Regulus pause. "Why would I run away from you?"

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, his handsome grey eyes troubled. "I… I need to tell you something, even if you don't want anything to do with me anymore. I need to tell you, if only for old times' sake."

With a pang, Regulus remembered what their relationship had been like back when they were kids. They'd been so close, and it had felt like nothing could touch them, as long as they were together. But then Sirius had begun more actively disobeying their parents, and Regulus had been too scared to follow. It had seemed like there was a chasm between them, impossible to cross and constantly widening. Eventually, Regulus had stopped trying to build a bridge across.

But now— now Sirius was throwing him some rope.

"What— what could I possibly want to run away from?"

Sirius blinked. "Don't you hate me? Like the rest of them?"

Regulus' gaze dropped to his lap. He recalled James' words: _Sirius won't care about that._ "I don't hate you. I'm not like them, but I'm not entirely like you, either." He took a deep breath, then met his brother's gaze. "But I want to be."

Sirius' grin widened. "That's… Reg, that's bloody brilliant."

Now sure that Sirius had taken the proper precautions to ensure that their conversation was private, Regulus admitted something he thought he'd never have the strength to. "I have something to tell you, too. It's hard to talk about, but— I've been told I should tell you."

Sirius squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Yeah, one of my mates could tell that I had something I wanted to tell you, and he convinced me that I should do it. So… here I am."

Both brothers waited for the other to speak first. It was killing Regulus, the silence; he needed to tell Sirius the truth now, or he would lose his courage.

"I'm in love with James," he confessed at the same Sirius admitted, "I'm in love with Remus."

The Black brothers stared at each other in absolute shock. "You _what?"_ they both hissed.

Sirius clapped a hand over the younger boy's mouth. "Sorry, are you telling me that James had deflowered my little brother?"

Regulus pushed his hand away. "First off, we haven't done that yet— I'm not even of age!— and secondly, you and _Lupin?"_

Sirius' eyes widened. " _Yet?_ What do you mean _yet?_ Merlin," His voice raised an octave. "you said you loved— but no one else knows—"

"Right," Regulus sulked miserably. "They wouldn't understand."

Sirius looked around, dazed, as though he were just now seeing the bigoted people around them. Sadness overtook his features. "I… I never should have left you here with them. You're almost in too deep."

"I wouldn't have gone with you," Regulus reasoned. "I just…" He looked up at his older brother with scared eyes. "I want to be able to love them _and_ James."

Sirius looked grim. "The world isn't perfect. If you love him… if you can't leave him… then come with me."

Regulus glanced at the altar, where Narcissa and Lucius were saying their vows. "Just… leave?"

Sirius was uncharacteristically solemn. "One thing I had to learn— their love shouldn't come at the price of your happiness."

 _James' love was free_. Those were the words Sirius had left unspoken.

Regulus made a decision.

"Let me finish the wedding," he whispered. "Then I'll go with you."

Sirius nodded. The two watched the rest of the ceremony in comfortable silence, and even Sirius smiled when Narcissa threw her arms around her new husband when it was all over.

The Black and Malfoy families stood up, and Regulus prepared to be swept out of the room. But before that could happen, the bride made her way over. She was still beaming, and Regulus smiled softly at her, hoping it didn't come across as too sad.

Narcissa tugged him outside where the reception was being held, and Regulus reluctantly told her that he had to go.

Her face didn't fall. "A dance before you do?"

Well, he couldn't deny her that.

They were the first ones outside, so they didn't _technically_ violate the father-daughter first dance tradition. The music was playing just for them, and as Regulus spun his cousin around, he tried not to think that this could be that last time he ever saw her.

"Congratulations," he offered.

Her blue eyes told him that she wasn't fooled. "You're leaving," she said casually, "for the same reason Dromeda did."

He blanched, his blood freezing in his veins. His chest began to constrict. His fingers began twitching in their tell-tale way; his skin became clammy, and he was sure he was about to be sick. She would tell everyone. They'd force him to stay, lock him up, disown him, _hate him—_

"If you have to leave," she continued, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, "then I'm glad it's for love."

He stared at her in shock. "What?"

She smiled sadly. "Love is the one thing more important than blood. I know that now." She stood on her tiptoes and pecked his cheek. "You should go now, before they see. I'll make something up. Don't forget to write."

He nodded, still disbelieving. He stumbled away towards where he knew Sirius was hiding, her words rushing through his head. She still cared about blood, he knew that. She would never allow a Muggle or Muggleborn into her household. But it was so liberating to know that another Black— one of the extremists, no less— held something above blood purity.

Sirius smiled when he saw his brother. "Ready?"

"To find out more about you and Lupin? Of course," he shot back.

Sirius barked out a laugh, and Disapparated the two away. It was time to start a new chapter in their lives.


End file.
